Socket terminal



i Y 1,634,17 June 1927" F. c. CHADWICK 3 SOCKET TERMINAL Filed Nov. 18, 1921 Patented June 28, 1927.

' UNITED STATES 1,634,173 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS C. CHA DWICK, OE NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO BEAVER MACHINE -AND TOOL COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

socxnrr TERMINAL.

Application filed November This invention relates to socket terminals, and more particularly to that class of socket terminals employed in plug sockets adapted, for example, in connecting lead wires to the terminals of electric irons, and similar devices.

In socket terminals of this type, it has heretofore been customary to employ divided contacts placed in recesses in a suitable casing, these contacts being adapted to receive the terminals of the irons, or other devices to complete the electric circuits thereto As commonly constructed, however, the socket terminals have not been made to accommodate themselves to various operating conditions found in practice, and furthermore in most instances, have been adapted to merely make a circumferential line contact with the stud or plug terminals with which they are adapted to engage.

The object of my invention is the provision of a socket terminal, which is so constructed as to adapt itself to substantially all conditions in the operation and use thereof, and also one in which the plug or stud terminal of the iron or other similar device is adapted to make a line contact with the socket terminal for substantially the entire length thereof. v y

In carrying out the invention, I preferably employ a resilient support and a contact member pivotally connected therewith, so as to be shiftable to position to adjust itself'to the plug terminal which it is to receive and by the action of the resilient support, to cling to the plug terminal and to make a longitudinal line contact therewith.

The invention will be hereinafter more particularly described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan of a socket plug fitted with socket terminals "made in accordance with my present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged edge elevation of the socket terminal.

Fig. '3 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of one 'of the parts of the support member.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one of the contact members.

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the same, and

Fig. 8 is an edge view similar to Fig. 2,

' showing a modified form of mounting the contact members in the support members.

Referring particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 indicates one part of the casing of a plug switch, inwhich my improved socket terminals may be employed. This casing is fitted with an opening 11 at one end thereof, adapted to receive the lead wires.

Within the casing, there is a switch base 12 having a switch mechanism mounted thereon. This switch mechanism may include the push buttons 13, a reciprocating member 14 operated thereby, a spring 15 connecting the reciprocating member 14: with an oscillating member 16, adapted in one position to bear against the contacts 17 carried by the switch base 12. The casing may also be fitted with a binder post 18 and a conductor 19 leading therefrom to one of the terminals 17. The members as hereinbefore described form no part of the present invention.

Provision is made in the casing 10 for the reception of the socket terminals com- I prising the present invention. Each of these socket terminals is similarly constructed, and for this reason but one of them will be specifically described. Each socket terminal preferably comprises the resilient support in which there is pivotally mounted the contact member.

Referring particularly to the Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, it will be seen that each resilient support member is preferably stamped from a metal blank to the configuration shown in Fig. 5. This includes a body 21, from which at the sides adjacent one end there are lugs or ears 22, 23 and 24 placed preferably in a staggered relationship. At this end also there is a hole 25. Centrally the body 21 is ribbed as indicated at 26 providing the extended side members 27 and 28, the extremities of which are inturned as indicated at 29 and 30, the sides 27 and 28 being spaced at their inturned ends, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. A

These support members are thus made so i as to be interchangeable, that is they are similarly constructed, and two such 'members are employed together to form a pair, thus eliminating the duplication of dies, which has heretofore been customary to employ in making complementary members to form a pair of supports or clips of this type of socket terminal.

As seenin Figs. 2 and 3, the lugs 22 and edges of the side portions there 23 of one support memberspan the lug 24 of the support member with which it is connected, these parts fitting over a connector 32 and secured thereto by a screw 33 or otherwise, it being understood that the connector 32 is electrically connected to a terminal or other device through which the circuit may be completed through the plug. Associating with the support members, as hereinbefore described I also employ contact members'which are preferably used in pairs. These contact members are indicated at 34: and each comprises side portions 35 and 36 with a centrally disposed rib 37, which may be of any desired cross section. The contact members at one end are preferably flared as indicated at 38, to assist in guiding a plug or stud terminal to position therein.

In similar positions the sides 35 and 36 are provided with offset fingers 39 and 40 between the extremities of which the adjacent are spaces indicated at 41 and 42.

Referring again to Fig. 2 it will be seen that a pair of contact members are placed together with their inner faces abutting and in this position are insertedbetween the extremities of the resilient support members,

these latter being correspondingly curved as indicated at 31, leaving an appreciable space between the curved portions thereof, and )ringing together the inturned extremities 29 and 30 which are passed through the spaces 41 and 4:2 and are adapted to lie against the inner faces of the fingers 39 and 40.

B this construction, as will now be understoo the contact members 34 are maintained in position with their inner faces abutting by the resilient action of the support member, and are permitted not only to. spread or separate to receive a plug or stud terminal,

but also may move or rock or turn on the extremities 29 and 30 of the support members as pivots to accommodate different conditions of the stud or plug terminals which they are adapted to receive, for instance if the stud terminals are not in line, the pivot "ally mounted contacts will yield to accommodate the same.

lit will also be apparent that in this structure the plug or stud terminal, for practically its entire length bears against the contact members of the socket terminal and this is possible in the construction described, irrespective of whether the plu or stud terminals are of regular or irregu ar configuration, that is, -whether they are cylindrical, rectangular or even taperlng.

By referring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the extremities of the parts of the resilient member, instead of being inturned and flat, as in the form ofthe invention hereinbefore described, may be curved or hooked as indicated at 43, and the fingers formed in the parts eac sides of the contact members correspondjngly bent or hooked, as indicated at 44, to engage the curved or hooked portions vl3, in order to connect the tapering pivotal connection, and also to prevent any possibility of the contact members being forced out of position relatively to the support members. It will be undertsood that as hereinbefore described I have referred to the forms of my invention which now appeanto be the preferred ones, but obviously other constructions may be made to carry out the same functions, without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention: l. A. socket terminal "comprising a resilient support member consisting of two similarl formed oppositely disposed parts, means or connecting the parts of the support member adjacent one end thereof, the opposite ends of the arts of the support member being resilient y spreadable, and a two part contact member each part of Which midway of its length is pivotally connected to the resiliently spreadable end of one of the parts of the said support member with the inner ends of the said parts of the contact memberlyin'g between the parts of the support member and the outer'ends of the parts of the contact member extending beyond the parts of the said support member.

2. A socket terminal comprlsing a resilient support consisting of two similarly formed interchangeable parts, having curved central portions and inturned spaced extremities, and a two part contact member,

having offset fingers and spaces with and end portion of one of theparts of said support member so as to cause the parts of the contact member to swing toward and away from each other about the axes in which they are pivotally connected to the said parts of the support member.

4. A socket terminal comprising a support member consisting of similarly formed oppositely disposed parts fixed at some sponding ends and resiliently spreadable at the opposite ends, and a contact member consistin of a corresponding number of pivoted between its ends to the end portion of one of the resiliently spreadiea iilltl able parts of the support member so as to swing on an axis lying substantially in the plane of the end portion of the part of the support member whereby the parts of the contact member are adapted to move toward and away from each other about the axes upon which they are pivotally mounted with the inner portions of the parts of the contact member lying between the parts of the support member and the outer parts of the contact member extending beyond and.

lying exteriorly of the resiliently spreadable end portions of the support member.

5; A socket terminal comprising a support member consisting of a plurality of similarly formed oppositely disposed parts fixed at corresponding ends and resiliently spreadable at the opposite ends and a contact member consisting of a like number of parts each pivotally connected between its ends to an end portion of one of the resiliently spreadable end portions of one of the parts of the support member whereby the parts of the contact member are adapted to move toward and away from each other as the resiliently spreadable end portions of the parts of the support member move toward and away from each other and the parts of the contact member are also adapted to swing toward and away from each other about the axes on which they are pivotally connected to the resiliently spreadable end portions of the parts of the support member. Signed by me this 4th day of November,

FRANCIS C. GHADXVICK. 

